Former Patriots Star Sues Ex-Business Partner Over $50M Company Sale

A former New England Patriots Hall of Famer is suing for what he claims are millions of dollars owed to him.

Boston 25 News reported on Thursday, April 30, that Julian Edelman filed a civil lawsuit in Suffolk County Superior Court on April 17. Edelman claims that his longtime friend and business partner, Assaf Swissa, exploited their decade-long collaboration with Superdigital, a Boston-based digital advertising firm.

In the lawsuit, Edelman alleged that Swissa began managing Edelman's social media around the summer of 2013, according to a NewsCenter 5 WCVB report. Swissa later sold Superdigital to Accenture in 2025 for nearly $50 million. Edelman contended that he received no payment from the acquisition.

According to NBC10 Boston, Edelman's lawsuit noted that Swissa referred to Edelman, his first client at Superdigital, as a business partner.

"When Swissa decided to capitalize on the value he grew on Edelman's back," the lawsuit noted, "he cut Edelman out from the proceeds entirely."

Edelman alleged that he learned about the sale of Superdigital last August from someone else. The lawsuit stated that Swissa later called Edelman's father with the news, allegedly promising to compensate Edelman's family, but that compensation never happened.

Swissa, however, allegedly offered to "walk away" from the duo's media company, now known as "Nuthouse Sports." The company produces Edelman's podcasts "Dudes on Dudes With Gronk and Jules" and "Games with Names."

"Edelman said he is seeking damages and a percentage of the sale of Superdigital," NBC10 reported, "the declaration that Edelman was an agreed-upon partner in the firm and more." 

NBC10 Boston contacted Swissa for comment, but did not receive a reply. Swissa has 20 days to respond in writing to the lawsuit.